The Windscale Fire

Where did the Windscale Fire happen?

The Windscale Fire, an accident in 1957 at the Windscale nuclear reactor facility and plutonium-production plant in the county of Cumberland (now Cumbria), in Northwestern England.

How did the Windscale Fire happen?

The accident occurred on October, 1957, when a routine heating of the No. 1 reactor’s graphite control blocks got out of control causing adjacent uranium cartridges to rupture. The Uranium released began to oxidize, releasing radioactivity and causing a fire that burnt for 16 hours before it was put out.

The Effects of the Windscale Fire

Despite the absence of an evacuation order, post-incident reports indicated a transfer of Iodine-131 into food, particularly milk. Consequently, on October 12th, a ban on the distribution of milk was implemented within a radius of 207 km, later extended to 518 km. It's worth noting that no enduring health effects were observed in the nearby villages or among the cleanup crew. Despite this, the Windscale Fire stands as the most significant nuclear accident in the history of Great Britain.